How to cut down on water waste in your home

Water is one of the hardest things to keep track of in your home especially if there are many people living in your home. The kids may leave the taps running whilst they clean their teeth, mum may rinse the dishes under running water after washing them and your teenage daughter may take a 40 minute shower after a sports match. These are difficult things to track and monitor. Raising awareness in your home about cutting down on water is vital to helping the environment and to saving you money on your bills. Read on to find ways to cut down on water waste in your home.

Being water efficient basically means thinking about the way your use water; how you and your family manages water. As an environmentally friendly individual you want to reduce how much water you use and make adjustments to your lifestyle so this change is permanent.

Wasting water could mean big water shortages in the future. On average, each person in England uses 150 litres of water every day but this is a number that can easily be reduced. Climate change means it is even more important to review our water usage and see how we can save water.

How to reduce water in your home:

Teeth cleaning

Instead of running the tap whilst you clean you teeth, turn the faucet off and rinse your mouth out with water from a beaker. This simple change will instantly reduce your water usage.

Spray taps

These taps are easy to fit to your sinks and reduce the amount of water use that you use on a daily basis.

Baths

Baths use just under 3 times as much water as a shower so it is vital to try and reduce the amount of baths you have. If you are used to daily baths try to reduce this to one bath a week, or even one a month as a treat. Also, it is good to ruse the bath water by using it on your houseplants or garden, instead of just watching it go down the drain.

Showers

The difference between a 5-minute shower and a 20-minute shower can be very significant on your monthly water usage. Try to, again, treat yourself to a longer shower on the weekends or after a particularly chilly walk instead of everyday. Also, don’t pump up the heat too high. If you can cope with a lower temperature in the shower then you will use less water and less energy. You can also purchase an energy efficient showerhead that uses less water in each shower than an average showerhead.

Washing

Try to avoid washing half a load of clothes or dishes in your washing machine and dishwasher. This will cut your water use by doing fewer loads and when you replace your machine, make sure you opt for an energy efficient model. The latest energy efficient dishwashers actually use less water than hand washing your pots in a bowl. Also, try to wash your clothes on a 30 cycle as this will reduce water and energy use.

Toilet

You can install a water displacement device that cuts the amount of water used during flushing. You can also opt for a new dual-flush or low-flush toilet but you need to be very careful about what you flush down the loo. No cotton wool zone here!

Taps

If you have a dripping tap you have to fix it as soon as possible. Even though it may not appear like that much water is being wasted, it really is losing a lot. If you had 3 dripping taps in 1 home with each one dripping once per minutes you would waste 1 litre of water a day. Don’t let a simple fix like this go on and on.

Kettle

I know we all love our tea and that is fine, but just don’t over fill the kettle more than necessary. If you do, try to pour the water into a teapot and use the water for your next cup of tea too. Also make sure you purchase an energy saving kettle that has a tight lid for efficiency.

Garden

Try to collect rainwater to use later to water your plants in the garden. This means you won’t use as much water from the hosepipe. You can also link up your washing machine and dishwasher to your rainwater tank if you want to save even more.

Water meter

By installing a water meter in your home you will be able to monitor you water usage and see the difference in the amount of water you use from month to month.
These are just a few select ways you can cut down on your water usage. Do you have any more ideas, tips or tricks that you have been using? Remember that by being aware of your water waste and making small changes to fix this, you will save from your own pocket too. You will be using less energy and you may even save on your water bill.